Tag: CFS

Helen’s Cauli-based Pizza:

When I first heard about using cauliflower as a base for pizza, I didn’t believe that it would work.

But oh boy was I wrong.

It’s so simple to make and so delicious to eat, this is a winner.

Helen’s Cauli-based Pizza
Makes 2 portions

Ingredients:Crust:
Half head of cauliflower, grated – around 250g
50g ground almonds (I’ve also made it to great success without)
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
1 tsp coconut oil for greasing

Toppings:
2 tbsp pesto
200g mozzarella
4 broccolini
4 asparagus

Method:
1. Grate the cauliflower into rice-size pieces, a food processor can do the job in seconds
2. Place into a bowl and stir in ground almonds
3. Mix in the egg
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Line a baking tray with baking paper, and lightly grease with coconut oil (the base can sometimes stick)
6. Place ‘dough’ mixture onto tray and flatten with the back of a spoon or use your hands into desired pizza shape. I aim for around 5mm thick
7. Bake in oven Gas Mark 6 (200°C/400°F) for 20 mins, or until the base starts to go brown
8. Spread pesto all over the base and add desired toppings
9. Place back in the oven for another 15 mins, or until cheese has melted
10.Serve with a green salad and tuck in

Alternative toppings:
Get creative and use whatever you fancy. I prefer to have a sauce spread over the base, so you could also try tomato puree instead of pesto. Other favourite topping combinations include mozzarella, pepperoni and mushrooms; mozzarella, capers and olives; Palma ham, rocket and parmesan shavings.

Being grateful for cauliflower pizza:

I would never in a million years have believed that cauliflower would become one of my favourite veggies.

Up until quite recently, my experience of cauliflower was boiled or steamed and, to put it quite frankly, pretty bland.

Well, no more.

Now, I can’t get enough and even have bags of frozen grated cauliflower in the freezer for whenever it takes my fancy.

These flowery florets have recently had a makeover. A healthy, alternative to grain and gluten, it can seriously tantalise those taste buds. And getting creative with this cruciferous is the key to making all the difference.

I now replace rice with rice-size cauliflower pieces for veggie-powered fried rice, risotto or paella on a regular basis.

And I was amazed to hear you could use it as a pizza crust. The first time I made it, I was pretty sceptical and fully prepared to chuck it and settle for some toast.

But oh my, how my taste buds jumped for joy at the result.

And it’s quick and easy to make too.

Simply grate some cauli, a food processor can do the job in seconds, stir in ground almonds – although I’ve also made it to great success without – mix in an egg, salt and pepper. Good to go.

Grease some grease-proof paper with coconut oil, as I find the base can stick. Flatten the ‘dough’ mixture into a pizza shape of your choice. I make it pretty thin, around 5mm, and bake until it starts to go brown.

Now comes the fun and creative part. Spread your choice of sauce – I prefer pesto – over the base, top with cheese and whatever toppings take your fancy.

Pop back in the oven until the cheese has melted and there you have it: a grain and gluten-free pizza that tastes sensational.

I know for anyone that hasn’t yet tried this yet, it sounds pretty crazy. But trust me, try it and see.

So with this in mind, my happy for today is being grateful for cauliflower pizza.

A dear friend has generously sent me a box full of books by one of my favourite authors.

Just because.

A whole heap of emotions pulsed through me from feeling gobsmacked, disbelief, tearful, excited, and over-the-moon.

And if I’m being completely honest, overwhelm and panic has set in.

Sounds crazy, I know.

I don’t know about you, but it’s all too easy for me to feel awkward when being the recipient of a generous gift. Feelings of “I don’t deserve this”, “This is too much”, or “I feel bad I can’t reciprocate at the moment” surface.

But I’ve come to realise that saying this can completely deflate the giver: it can deny them the pleasure of giving. I realise it’s about being grateful for how someone has taken the time to think about you and given you something you’d enjoy.

I recall an article that had a big impact on me. In it, Ellen Langer, a psychology professor at Harvard, said: “Receiving with grace isn’t about taking. You should see it as offering someone else the joy of giving.”

It’s about accepting gifts with grace.

It’s not easy, but I’m working on it.

So instead of feeling bad about the lovely gifts I’ve received, I choose to think : Look what magic and kindness my Fairy Godmothers have sprinkled on me, I am so blessed.

And I smile and say: Thank you dear friends.

So with this in mind, my happy for today is being mindful of accepting gifts with grace.

Being grateful for yoga in the garden:

To feel the grass under my feet, the sun on my skin,
To hear the wind rustling the leaves, the birds as they sing.
My arms up in the air, as they meet the sky up above,
My spirit calm and peaceful, my heart filled with love.– Helen

Coconut Cashew Ice Cream:

I adore ice cream and it’s been one of the hardest sweet treats for me to give up when I realised that sugar is not my friend. However, as I try to live by the 80-20% rule, I do occasionally indulge in the odd Magnum, or a little tub of deliciousness when I’m at the cinema.

Then I discovered that raw dairy and sugar-free ice cream can taste really amazing as demonstrated by the fabulous Booja Booja range. I set out to make my own (see Day 23).

Method:
1. Blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth. I give it about two minutes
2. Pour into shallow, freezer friendly, 1 litre container with a lid, or use cling film and foil, making sure it’s air-tight
3. Stir/mix with a fork every 30 minutes for six hours, making sure you get right into the corners to agitate all the mixture
4. For ease of eating and storage, I transferred the ice cream into individual serving pots with lids
5. Leave in the freezer overnight (8 hours+)
6. Make sure you take out of freezer a good 15-30 minutes before eating
7. Eat and enjoy!

Being grateful for making raw vegan ice-cream:

A dear friend introduced me to their Hunky Punky Chocolate Ice Cream Alternative. My taste buds jumped for joy as I tucked into this heavenly bowl containing only four ingredients: water, agave syrup, cashews and cacao.

I’m not kidding when I say it tastes like a high quality Belgian chocolate ice-cream. Creamy deliciousness in every spoonful.

In fact, I would go as far to say this is one of the best ice-creams I have ever tasted: healthy or non-healthy. And I don’t usually go for chocolate ice-cream either!

I couldn’t wait to visit my local health food store and was over-the-moon to see they stocked it. But alas it’s a tad too pricey for my present budget.

So I had the great idea to try and make my own.

After lots of trawling online, I finally found a recipe that was right up my street. Most recipes use bananas as the base, my least favourite food in the whole wide world (the only exception I make is for Banana Bread, toasted with butter please. A staple treat for me when I lived in Sydney). Thankfully I found an alternative that uses cashews and coconut milk.

Pour into a shallow dish, cover well and freeze. Every 30 minutes, take out of the freezer and whisk with a small whisk or mix with a fork. For six hours. That’s twelve times. Twelve times! Then leave for a further eight hours and it’s ready to eat.

And you know what, it tastes mind-glowingly delicious.

I am so impressed with myself that I’ve actually made ice cream. By hand.

Even my mum is impressed. We sampled it this afternoon – although it hadn’t had its full proper freezing time, I mean who can wait overnight, seriously!

I added a scoop to my previously made Chocolate Cup Cakes (dairy, sugar and wheat-free too) and the ultimate afternoon snack was born.

Although, it’s pretty labour intensive and pretty expensive to make, there is a huge satisfaction of knowing I’ve made this bowl of deliciousness all by myself.

Booja Booja who?!

So with this in mind, my happy for today is being grateful for making raw vegan ice-cream.

Being mindful while playing with my nephews:

Today we have my two young nephews here. Ages three and six. All day long.

While I absolutely love playing with the little munchkins, I’m usually wiped out after half an hour or so and have to go and rest. So I try to make every second I spend with them count.

The eldest Callum is really into doing mazes at the moment. I’d printed a few off for him so we could sit together and have some quiet, creative time.

Of course, little Thomas wanted to get in on the action and climbed onto my lap. And while Callum got stuck into helping the dragon find his egg, Thomas scribbled on a dot-to-dot.

It was a precious half hour spent.

I always try to make sure I am fully present when I am with them. That I am Mindful Auntie Helen instead of Distracted Auntie Helen. I listen to what they have to say and I devote my whole attention to them and what they want to do.

I truly think one of the greatest gifts you can give someone is your full attention, adults and children alike. Especially when we live in a society that is very much attached to our smart phones and bombarded with distractions from every direction.

I sense that the boys appreciate it too. So much so, that later in the day Callum excitedly burst into my room to tell me what they’d just got up to in the park, and Thomas declared me his best friend when his mummy came to collect him.

Heart melt moments.

My nephews are also my inspiring teachers. They live and play wholeheartedly in the present moment.

Like when Thomas hears music, he leaps up to dance around with unabashed freedom. Or a minute after crying uncontrollably, he is playing happily, all previous upset forgotten.

And like when Callum wants me to play with him, he means now, not “in a bit”. Or when he plays his computer games, he completely disappears into that moment.

Unlike adults, children don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future, and this is one of the biggest lessons I am learning on my recovery journey.

It reminds me of one of my favourite quotes about living in the present moment: